Introduction
In the wake of
9/11, Islam has been under much scrutiny in the west, especially in America.
The media, the government, and the general public are now more aware of this
“eastern” or, rather, “middle eastern” religion than there were prior to the
Twin Towers and the Pentagon attacks. Many people in the west have come to fear
this religion, especially fundamentalist Christians, because of the terrorist
acts of
Al-Qaeda. Despite this
general fear and distrust of Islam in the west, many western women have been
accepting Islam as their new religion. What seems most shocking about this
phenomenon is the idea that many people have about how Islam treats women; they
believe that Islam is oppressive to women. So the obvious question asked is:
Why are western women choosing Islam?
Historically, Islam has actually
been present in America since at least the days of slavery. It is estimated
that ten to twenty-five percent of the Africans that were enslaved and brought
to American in seventeenth to nineteenth centuries were Muslim. There is
actually a well-known book (and TV series) that shows how Islam did exist in
America via African slaves: “Roots”. Although Islam may have been present in
American via slavery, the practice of Islam by the slaves was washed away by
the demands of their “masters”, who required them to follow their own religion,
typically Christianity. The Islamic names were also washed away by the taking
on of the masters’ names. (Simmons) This loss of
practice and knowledge is one reason why Islam seems so new in America to many
of her public.
African Americans play a big part in
the surge of women accepting Islam in America. Part of this phenomenon is in
reaction or response to the slave days. In some ways, African Americans that
descended from slaves felt that they could take back their ancestors’
identities by embracing Islam. Islam also gave them a voice. Islam gave them a
way to belong and a way to organize against oppression in the USA and fight for
their civil liberties. Islam for many African Americans may have been more of a
political choice than religious at first, but ultimately became religious. (Simmons)
Islam did not enter America only
once with slavery. Carol Anway, in her book titled, Daughters of another
Path, mentions a booklet called A Century of Islam in America, by
Yvonne Haddad, in which three waves of Muslim immigration is mentioned: the
first in 1875, a second in the 1930s that is stopped by World War II, and a
third in the 1950s and 60s. These waves were part of the growth of Islam in
America, a growth that brought this “other” religion to cities and Universities
across America, where it started to become more likely that Americans would get
to know Islam from friends, fellow students, neighbors, and co-workers. (Anway) As women in the west
began learning about Islam, some began to accept Islam as their own religion,
converting sometimes from Christianity, other religions, or from an atheistic
or secular position. There has not been a lot of research into why women in the
west are accepting Islam more and more, but some factors have been identified.
Marriage
One of the
reasons women convert to Islam is through marriage to a Muslim man. One might
think that she is obligated to covert for the sake of the marriage, as is often
the case in Catholicism and Judaism, but this is not the case. Muslim men are
allowed to marry a woman who is Muslim, Christian, or Jewish. As long as she is
one of “the people of the book”, the marriage is
halal, or lawful. It is only
men that are obligated to convert for the sake of marriage, as a Muslim woman
is to marry only a Muslim man.
Even though women are not obligated
to convert for the sake of the marriage, they often do. There are a few reasons
this occurs. Sometimes a woman will fall in love with a Muslim man and will
convert to his religion to become more attractive to him as a potential wife.
If she converts after marriage, it might be in an effort to be more accepted by
her husband and his family, or by the community to which he belongs. (Allievi) As much as they
might be expected to be, these are not always the reasons a woman who marries a
Muslim man will convert to Islam herself.
Often times, it is the introduction
to Islam via her love interest, or husband that brings her to the acceptance of
Islam. It is not always for social reasons, but also, and many times, is
because she finds something fulfilling about Islam itself. Perhaps she had
never really known about Islam before she met her love interest and in the
process of getting to know him, she gets to know Islam, and then ultimately
accepts it for herself. (Anway)
Acquaintance
Similar to learning about Islam
through a significant other, or husband, many women first learn about Islam
through a friend, co-worker, fellow student, or colleague. She may find their
new Muslim friend to be unusual and will be inquisitive about their religion,
maybe even attempt to convert them to her own religion. The best way to prepare
for a debate is to know your opponent, and so evangelical Christians looking to
convert their new Muslim friend to Christianity start studying the Qur’an in an
attempt to become familiar with this other religion and to build arguments
against it. What they find occurs during their studies, though, is that they
are drawn to Islam and find themselves understanding and even agreeing with
what they find in the Qur’an. They find themselves wanting to learn more about
Islam and then accept Islam instead of converting their friend. (Nieuwkerk)
 |
Aminah Assilmi converted to
Islam while trying to evangelize
the Muslims in her college drama class. |
Even if evangelism is not a motive
in learning about Islam, many people who have made a Muslim acquaintance find
themselves wanting to learn more. Sometimes it is a pious nature of their
Muslim friend that intrigues the non-Muslims. Most times they are surprised by
the natures of their new friend – they are nothing like the terrorists of 9/11!
When they realize their own ignorance of the religion, they want to learn more
in an attempt to understand their friend, co-worker, or colleague better.
Again, it is during this exploration that they find something within what they
learn that draws them in to an acceptance of Islam. (Haddad)
Quest for Answers
Sometimes, as in the way of
acquaintance, converts originally stumbled upon Islam; sometimes it is a quest
of knowledge or a quest for answers to what doesn’t make sense that leads
converts to Islam. Perhaps it is dissatisfaction for the explanations of
certain aspects of the religion they were raised with that leads them on such a
quest. These people are naturally inquisitive and don’t rest with an answer
that doesn’t make sense to them. They may seek answers in many different
religions before settling on Islam. The common report with these converts is
that they found that what they read in the Qur’an not only made sense to them
logically, but also answered those questions that had long plagued them and
that no one else, not even their clergy could answer. (Haddad)
Often the intellectual pursuits come
from Christianity. When the trinity or the idea of Jesus as the son of God or
as God incarnate don’t make sense, or when bible contradictions are frustrating
and the lack of adequate answers even more so, converts find solace in the
logic and clearness of the Qur’an. Questions that they felt they would never
have answers to, suddenly make sense. Science agrees with religion. Religion
agrees with logic. (Anway)
 |
Camilla Leyland, 32, pictured in Western and Muslim dress,
converted to
Islam in her mid-20s for 'intellectual and feminist reasons' |
Anti-Feminism
Some women in the west are
frustrated with the expectations thrust upon them and they see Islam as a way
to be a woman and be comfortable in traditional gender roles without feeling
like they have let other women down in the quest for equality among men in
society. With feminism, often women are expected not only to be women in a
traditional sense, or traditional feminine role, but are also now expected to
compete with men. In some ways, women are expected to be both men and women,
whereas men are only expected to be men. This can be very exhausting and
frustrating for women that are perfectly happy to be a mom and a wife or who
are tired of expecting to be super-woman all of the time. There is a common
idea, a misconception that Islam is anti-feminist. Islam calls for equity
between men and women, but does recognize gender differences. It is the fact
that Islam allows for these gender differences that sometimes is a draw for
women.
Women are cherished in Islam. There
is a misconception in the west that Muslim women are oppressed, often because
of the Islamic coverings –
abaya,
hijab, and/or
niqab – that many Muslim women
wear. Women are revered for being mothers. Women are protected, cared for, and
provided for by men in Islam. This can be a very strong draw for women that are
tired of being subjected to the common abuses they face in western society. In
Islam it is OK to be a stay at home mother who focuses on raising her children
properly. She is not looked down upon for not competing with man in the
workforce, rather she is protected and provided for because of the important
job she has in raising the children to be successful adults.
Feminism
Although it seems contradictory to
the idea many people have - that Islam is anti-feminist, Islam frequently gives women a voice in
what is often a man’s world. The Qur’an is specific about the equity between
men and women, and was written long before women’s suffrage in America. Women
often refer to the fact that being Muslim and wearing hijab and/or abaya makes
them more equal with men. The coverings force others to look at them for their
minds and abilities rather than their looks. They feel safer and free-er from
objectification.
A particular “brand” of Islam,
Sufism, is especially appealing to many feminist types. Sufism gives not only
importance to women, but even allows women to be religious leaders. Sufism is
mystical, more spiritual and less confined by the “rules” of Sunni or Shi’a
Islam. Feminists often like the freedom of expression and teachings that Sufism
offers them. (Jawad)
Problem Solving
Some who have studied conversion in
the west have suggested that perhaps the conversion to Islam is sometimes a
subconscious reaction to societal or personal problems the convert perceives. (Wohlrab-Sahr) Islam gives these
converts a way to correct the problems they either have experienced or perceive
as problems in society. (Jawad)
And converts often embrace Islam because dissatisfaction with western cultural
norms as a motivating factor. (Zebiri)
For African Americans, Islam is a way to reclaim their identity and to raise
political clout. (Simmons)
For women who are tired of feminism, it is a way to find peace in the fact that
they are OK with traditional gender roles. For women that are tired of the way
women are sexualized and objectified in the west, Islam gives them a way to
correct what they see as immorality and/or a way to no longer be subjected to
objectification and over-sexualization. (Nieuwkerk)
For women that have had a hard time feeling like they fit in anywhere,
conversion gives them a new start to belong to something and with others.
In many ways,
the problem solving that Islam provides is in the form of a new identity for
the convert. This can come in the form of a new outer appearance, such as
donning the hijab (typically referring to the head covering), or even niqab
(face veil). Sometimes the new identity is as extreme as a legal name change to
that of a more Islamic name. (Allievi)
Even being part of a new community, or
Ummah, can be a part of the new identity
building process. In some ways, the new identity is a way for the convert to
distance herself from something that she considered to be a problem in her
previous “life” as a non-Muslim.
So, who are
these women that are accepting Islam? Are they poor, uneducated, battered and
abused women that are seeking a new identity in a foreign religion? The answers
seem to be surprising to popular media and to some researchers. While compiling
research for her book,
Daughters of Another path, Carol Anway found that
over 50% of her respondents held a Bachelor’s degree or higher. During her
fieldwork for
Women Embracing Islam, Karin van Nieuwkerk found that,
“most converts appear to be of middle-class background” and that they have
their first experience with Islam in the university setting. It is perhaps the
natural inquisitive tendencies that ultimately lead many higher educated women
(who are more likely from middle to upper level financial demographics to have
had the opportunity to have a higher education in the first place) to find a
home in Islam. Conversion to Islam is not exactly an easy process in the west,
however.
Costs /
Consequences
The stumbling
blocks that many converts run into don’t necessarily make the choice to accept
Islam a difficult one, but instead provide for some costs, or consequences in
their family and social lives. Due to misconceptions, many times the newly
converted woman is confronted with opposition from the people she loves most,
her family. (Anway)
The misconceptions about Islam that many people in the west hold come mostly
from a lack of knowledge about the religion, some from bad examples (e.g.
Al-Qaeda), and others from a confusion between culture and religion. Sometimes
the family hoped that their daughter/sister/niece was just acting out, trying
on a new religion like she was trying on clothes, and hope that like when she
was a teenager, it was a “phase” that she would grow out of.
Especially in
the wake of 9/11, the families and friends may be concerned that their loved
one has gotten involved in terrorism, or worry about how their’ daughter’s
choice will reflect on them in the community which they belong. They don’t
necessarily see her choice to convert as her own, but that of the family at
large. If the new convert chooses to don the hijab or other traditionally
Islamic clothing, it can be even harder for others to accept. It is one thing
if she changes something inwardly, but wholly another when she makes it
obvious to all. One tale of how a parent reacted is given in Carol Anway’s
Daughters
of Another Path: “They were very upset at first but now they reluctantly
accept it. My father got very angry and twisted my arm and told me about my
hijab, to ‘take that thing off because I don’t want to be seen with you in
public.’”
Sometimes the
parents of a convert see her choice as a personal insult, especially if they
are particularly religious in the previous faith. They see their daughter’s
choice as a slap in the face or an overt rejection. (Jawad)
Over time, if the family ties are strong and the convert and the family and
friends give each other a chance to see how things will be, they learn that
this is a decision that she made – for herself and not “to” anyone. Most times,
but not always, a new understanding is found and the relationships continue on
in a positive direction.
Relationships
with family and friends or within a home community are not the only stumbling
blocks that converts come across. They also frequently have to deal with the
stigma of being a convert and not a born-Muslim. Sometimes, when they enter the
Muslim community, they are not looked upon as serious Muslims by their
sisters-in-faith that were born and raised Muslim. Converts can feel
scrutinized in the Mosques by the older generation immigrant women and in
extreme cases, ostracized. (Haddad)
They may struggle to not only be outcast by the society that they came from,
but also the one that they were originally so happily joining.
Another way in
which converts sometimes struggle with their Ummah, or Muslim community, is
that often new converts are akin to born-again Christians. They are very
excited about their new found faith and overzealous in not only their adaption
of it in their own lives but will critique and correct those around them. It may be annoying to some born Muslims, who
like most people, don’t like to be corrected when they are not following the
“rules”. Some of the Ummah, however, may actually be relieved and revived by
the spirit of their new sisters. Often new converts have researched Islam more
than those that have grown up learning about Islam and can be a source of
knowledge about the separation between religion and culture. It can be an
avenue of healthy dialogues and the foundation of lasting friendships.
Converts to
Islam, especially women converts, play an important role in their Ummah and in
their society at large. Converts may or may not be keenly aware of this new
role – that of a mediator. The convert is the tie between the west and the
“other”. She is one that can help explain the two halves to each other and
mediate the conflicts that may or may not erroneously arrive. She may teach her
family, friends, and home community about their misconceptions of Islam. She
may correct their misunderstandings and foster a new perception about this
“foreign” religion. That which is known is far less scary than that which is
unknown. She may also be able to help foster a new relationship between the
Muslim community and non-Muslims via opportunities for mixing and meeting each
other.
Sometimes this
new role is realized and not always wanted. It can be scary for the convert to
be an example to others. What if she is not a good example? She doesn’t want to
give non-Muslims the wrong idea about the faith and she doesn’t want to be
scrutinized by her new Muslim community in the same way. She is often times
still learning and adapting to her new found faith. Conversion is rarely a
phenomenon that lasts only a moment. Converts often convert to Islam slowly and
may change their attitudes and adopt different parts or degrees of Islam over
time. Sometimes she starts out zealous and then cools down; sometimes she
starts out slow and becomes more enraptured over time.
Lastly, a
hurdle in the west for the new convert is that of discrimination. In Islam,
many women feel that wearing the traditional Islamic coverings like the hijab,
abaya, and/or niqab makes them more equal to men as they are judged on their
minds and abilities rather than their looks. In the Middle East, this may very
well be the case. In America, especially since 9/11 and in the smaller, less
urbanized areas, women in traditional dress are more likely to be discriminated
against in the workplace than Muslim women that look “like everyone else”. For
women that have already been fighting in a man’s world – and maybe have won –
to face this new challenge can be extremely difficult. They may be tempted to
doff the traditional dress, even if they believe they should wear it, just so
they will not be discriminated against.
Conclusion
Many women in
the west have been accepting Islam more and more over the years. The tragedy of
9/11 didn’t seem to slow down this phenomenon, but instead made more people
aware of and curious about Islam. The inquisitive individuals who may have had
a life filled with questions about their religion or had never found adequate
answers or felt a void in their life are attracted to Islam for its logic and
simple nature.
Many female
converts meet their first Muslim friend at University and sometimes as a
significant other. Even if her future husband is her motivation for learning
about Islam, it is not by force or coercion that brings her to the faith. Many
times, she is the one that brings him back to practicing the faith regularly
and with more conviction.
New converts
find peace in their decision on one hand, but a struggle on the other. They
have to face telling their family and friends about their choice and risk
rejection or opposition. They struggle with acceptance within their new Ummah
and proving themselves to born-Muslims. They find themselves as an instant mediator
between Islam and the west – often working hard to correct misconceptions and
spread awareness about True Islam versus the faith of the extremist groups.
These women are
not oppressed and come from some of the free-est societies in the world.
Sometimes their choice to accept Islam is in a backlash against feminism that
has made things more difficult on women – they see how women and mothers are
venerated in Islam and they wish for equity but to also be able to live out the
gender roles that feel more natural to them. For them, Islam is not only a
logical faith that has answered their questions, but allows them to live the
identity that they feel most comfortable with.
Bibliography
Allievi, Stefano. "The Shifting Significance fo
the Halal/Haram Frontier." Women Embracing Islam: Gender and
Conversion in the West. Ed. Karin van Nieukerk. Austin: University of
Texas Press, 2006. 120-149.
Anway, Carol L. Daughters of Another Path.
Yawna Publications, 1995.
Haddad, Yvonne Yazbeck. "The Quest for Peace in
Submission." Women Embracing Islam: Gender and Conversion in the WEst.
Austin: University of Texas Press, 2006. 19-47.
Jawad, Haifaa. "Female Conversion to
Islam." Women Embracing Islam: Gender and Conversion in the West.
Ed. Karin van Nieuwkerk. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2006. 153-171.
Nieuwkerk, Karin van. "Gender, Conversion, and
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Ed. Karin van Nieuwkerk. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2006. 95-119.
Simmons, Gwendolyn Zoharah. "African American
Islam as an Expression of Converts' Religious Faith and Nationalist Dreams
and Ambitions." Women Embracing Islam: Gender and Conversion in the
West. Ed. Karin van Niewkerk. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2006.
172 - 191.
Wohlrab-Sahr, Monkika. "Symbolizing
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Ed. Karin van Nieuwkerk. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2006. 71-92.
Zebiri, Kate. British Muslim Converts: Choosing
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Originally written for my Islam class in the spring of 2011
